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Iran's president comes to Armenia Sept. 8

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  • Iran's president comes to Armenia Sept. 8

    IRAN'S PRESIDENT COMES TO ARMENIA SEPTEMBER 8

    ArmenPress
    Sept 6 2004

    YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: As reported earlier, the president of
    the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami is arriving in Armenia
    on September 8 on a two-day official visit at the invitation of his
    Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian.

    Kocharian's press office said the Iranian delegation will include
    foreign, finance and economy, trade ministers, other government
    officials and journalists.

    After welcoming Khatami at the presidential palace on September 8
    he and Kocharian will have a face-to-face conversation, which will
    be followed by enlarged talks with their participation. Bilateral
    documents are expected to be signed and the two presidents will meet
    with journalists.

    The Iranian president will address members of the Armenian National
    Assembly and will meet with the prime minister of Armenia. He then will
    be hosted by students and professors of Yerevan State University and
    will travel to Etchmiadzin to be received by Catholicos Karekin II,
    the head of Armenian Church.

    The itinerary of the Iranian delegation includes also laying a
    wreath to the Genocide Monument Genocide in Yerevan, a visit to Blue
    Mosque. He will also meet with Iranian citizens working in Armenia.
    Khatami will depart home on September 9.

    Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, the fifth president of
    the Islamic Republic of Iran, was born in Ardakan, in the central
    province of Yazd in 1943. Son of respected Ayatollah Ruhollah Khatami,
    President Khatami finished his early school years in his homeland. Then
    he attended Qom Theology School in 1961. Later, he got his BA in
    philosophy from Isfahan University, accomplishing religious studies
    in senior level at Qom Seminary. In 1970 he entered the University
    of Tehran and graduated with an MA, he returned to Qom later to his
    philosophical studies at Qom Seminary.

    President Khatami was involved in political activities and anti-Shah
    campaign. He began his political activities at the Association of
    Muslim Students of Isfahan University, worked closely with Ayatollah
    Khomeini's late son, Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khomeini and Martyr Mohammad
    Montazeri and organized religious and political debates.

    After the revolution in 1979 he replaced Ayatollah Dr. Beheshti as
    Head of Hamburg Islamic Center in Germany. He represented Ardakan
    and Meibod constituencies in the first term of Majlis in 1980. He
    was also appointed as the head of Kayhan newspaper institute by late
    Ayatollah Khomeini in 1981. In 1982, he was appointed as the minister
    of culture and Islamic guidance. During the 1980-1988 war with Iraq,
    he served different responsibilities including deputy and head of the
    Joint Command of the Armed Forces and chairman of the War Propaganda
    Headquarters.

    He was once again appointed as the minister of culture and Islamic
    guidance by President Hashemi Rafsanjani in 1989. Khatami was appointed
    as cultural advisor to President Rafsanjani. In 1996 he was appointed
    as a member of High Council for Cultural Revolution by the Leader of
    Iran. As President he is the head of the council. President Khatami
    speaks English, German and Arabic in addition to Persian.

    He got married in 1974 and has two daughters and a son. President
    Khatami was elected as the fifth president of the Islamic Republic
    of Iran in May 1997 elections by gaining 20,078,178 votes, almost 70
    percent of the votes cast.
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